


something borrowed, something blue.

by sweetnothings04



Category: Joker (2019)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:40:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27786880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetnothings04/pseuds/sweetnothings04
Summary: a gift for my dear friend flavia 💙
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	something borrowed, something blue.

The haze that had settled upon the city as nightfall approached wrapped everything in blue. It was a more vibrant shade than even the daytime could provide, when the sun had shone brightly and reflected off the skyscraper facades. It was one of the few worthwhile things Arthur took note of as he made his way home, utterly exhausted. He always liked the color blue. It made him feel calmer.

The atmosphere outside wasn’t exactly relaxing, as Gotham was always bustling, but it was more relaxing than what awaited him at home surely, so he decided to take the long way home and stroll through the nearby park. 

As he entered it, he reached into his jacket pocket and took out his pack of cigarettes, bringing the pack to his lips and wrapping them around a single cigarette to withdraw it. Tall lamps lit the pathway that meandered through the park that he followed at his own pace, in no rush and temporarily without a care in the world. 

As he neared the end, he realized he wasn’t yet ready to ascend the mountain of stairs that led to his building, so he took a seat on a bench near the park exit, finishing his cigarette while he tried to tune out the sound of passing emergency assistance alarms and people yelling at each other down the street. 

He stared at the ground for some minutes, lost in a sea of thoughts, before a movement nearby caught his eye. He glanced up tiredly to see a girl sitting on the park bench opposite him, illuminated under the lamp above. She was taking a book out of her bag, opening it as she settled on the bench and crossed her legs. 

He tried not to stare for too long, but he couldn’t help but notice how the cardigan she had set next to her on the seat bore a striking resemblance to one he always imagined for himself. It was a deep blue shade. Nothing fancy, but beautiful in its own way. Often in his daydreams, he dreamed of what he would buy if he caught a break and made a couple more bucks. That cardigan – and, he was shy to admit, the girl herself – was straight out of an all-too-familiar daydream. 

He averted his eyes and continued to puff away on his cigarette, searching for a distraction from his first distraction. 

He tried not to watch, though an dull ache formed in his heart as he noticed out of the corner of his eye, her packing up her things to head out only 10 minutes later. He looked up to her spot as she parted to make sure she had really been there, when he noticed her cardigan still on the seat. He flicked his cigarette and got up, going to the cardigan and picking it up. He glanced to see where she was heading, and took off running. 

“Wait!” he called, running as fast as his legs could carry him towards her. 

She turned around, her brown eyes already sparkling in the light of the impending moonlight. When she turned and looked at him, it nearly took his breath away, more so than any amount of running ever could. He was grateful that he had the sprint as a guise for his heavy breath as he slowed in front of her. 

“You, uh…you forgot this,” he said, extending it to her timidly. 

When she smiled, he couldn’t help his own smile that tugged at the corners of his lips. Surely, this was the most beautiful sight he had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. And nothing else that happened the rest of the day, the rest of the week, for the rest of his whole life could compare to this, nor would anyone ever be able to take this moment away from him– she had looked at him, and she had smiled. They had _shared_ a smile. 

“Thank you so much. What’s your name?” She had a beautiful accent that he couldn’t quite place. It made his heart skip a beat. 

“Arthur.”

“Arthur?” 

“My name’s Arthur.” He said with an affirming smile and nod, loving the way his name sounded so soft rolling off of her tongue. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Arthur. My name is Flavia.” 

The timbre of her name was the prettiest sound he’d ever heard.

“Flavia.” He repeated it, tasting the name in his mouth, savoring it. 

“Do you live around here?” she asked, shrugging the cardigan on and beginning to button it from the top down. He took note of how she didn’t clasp the bottom button, and hoped he wasn’t blushing with how cute he found her. 

“Yes – right up the stairs,” he said, cocking his head in the opposite direction. 

“I live up there too.” 

“Can I walk you home?” He wasn’t sure what impulse led him to blurt the question, but some things can’t be overthought. The way the day had gone, the risk of rejection was worth it. Some questions just needed to be asked. 

She smiled again. “That would be nice, thank you.” He breathed a sigh of relief as they turned and started walking together.

He offered her a cigarette from his pack which she took after a brief hesitation and handed her his lighter. He listened attentively as she described the blanket of blue that was coating Gotham, her words like the prettiest poem he’d ever heard. She even made small talk sound romantic and he longed to live in her world and see the world through her eyes, if only for a day. 

That night, he dreamed of her raven hair and sparkling eyes, and the blue cardigan that would find its way into his daydreams and nighttime fantasies until the day he crossed her path again. 

***

It turns out, it didn’t take as long as expected. Arthur was leaning his head against the bus window, watching the city pass him by as he did every morning on his way to work, when he felt a sudden warmth sitting next to him. Normally the sensation of someone sitting next to him wouldn’t cause him to give them so much as a glance, but this time felt different. He turned to see the beautiful girl from the day before.

“Was this seat taken?” she asked. 

“No,” he hiccupped, giving her a reassuring smile and angling his body slightly towards her. “Long time, no see.” 

She laughed. “I know! Um, you forgot this,” she said, handing him his lighter. He laughed, thinking of how crazy he had gone the night before, unable to find it anywhere and wondering where it possibly could have gone. 

“Oh. Thanks. Lucky we ran into each other,” he hummed, looking down at the lighter and fiddling with it in his hands.

“Maybe it was meant to be,” she said softly before shyly looking up to meet his eye. 

He turned to look back up at her. “I think maybe it was.”

They shared a smile – the second of what would be many more to come, as the bus rolled on.


End file.
